Summer is here. The barnacles unfortunately thrive in these conditions and grow fast. Sometimes they grow at almost double the rate during the summer. What that means for boaters is that the monthly hull cleaning will probably not keep the boat bottom clean all month. During the last week before the boat divers come to clean the boat, the bottom will be pretty sluggish. And there will probably be quite a bit of growth on th propeller. This means that when going out, the boat will be slower and use more fuel to get around.
Plan Trips Around Hull Cleaning
When going out on your boat over the summer, you may want to plan as many trips as you can to coincide with bottom cleaning. If you have a week long trip planned, start right after the cleaning. Try to get in most of your boating in the first two weeks after the cleaning if you can. Otherwise, you may want to arrange for a double clean or a special cleaning before a big trip.
Barnacles Thrive In Summer Heat
That may sound a little extreme but a clean bottom makes a big difference out on the water. In Florida, there is no avoiding the change in barnacle growth rate over the summer. Barnacles and other growth grows fast in the summer heat. It is just one of the realities of living here. Old salts will know all this and plan accordingly. Newcomers may want to take this to heart and plan accordingly or get a second dive each month if they plan to be busy on the water.